This invention generally relates to a telecommunication network and more particularly to managing network elements of the telecommunications network.
Network management systems in which a management computer, or work station, runs a management computer program, or management application, to manage a set of management agent computer programs, or management agents, associated with a corresponding set of network elements are known. Such known management systems employ a communication protocol that employs a management information base for each network that defines the interface between the management application and the network element. These management systems are implemented only at the individual network elements and have not been successfully employed for large scale management of a telecommunications network.
In accordance with the invention, a method is provided for remotely managing a network element of a telecommunications network through a special communication link including a computer internet. A management computer is connected to an element management system server through a communication link including a computer internet. At least one of the plurality of network elements is also coupled to the element management server through the computer internet and the at least one of the plurality of network elements is managed via communications conveyed through the element management server between the management computer and the at least one network element.
Preferably, management is facilitated by the management server generating an interactive web page at a client workstation with objects associated with management of the at least one network element. The interactive web page is transmitting from the management server through the computer internet to the management computer and displayed at the interactive web page at the management computer for management communications between the management computer and the network element. Objects of the interactive web page include objects associated with preferably all three of operation, administration and maintenance of the network element.
In an embodiment, the interactive web page includes a detailed status summary page for each network element of the telecommunications network, a relatively high system status summary of all the plurality of network elements and a list of all active alarms within the telecommunications network.
The plurality of network elements each have an associated applications processor with a management agent application for interfacing the element management server with the network element. The application processor includes a maintenance application for performing maintenance of the network element command request are interfaced from the element management server through the management agent application to the maintenance application to selectively perform maintenance tasks. The element management server is provided with application processor specific events and command acknowledgments.
Preferably, the computer internet is the world wide web, or Internet, connections and communications are achieved through operating world wide web based JAVA applications at the management computer and the element management server. Alternatively, the computer internet is a local area network. In this way, multiple management computers at different remote locations are capable of accessing any and all of the network elements of the telecommunications network. Multiple commands simultaneously received from a plurality of different management computers are queued and the multiple commands are responded to by sending responses to only the appropriate ones of the different management computers that originated the corresponding commands. Connection of the management computers to the special element management server is preferably enabled only in response to entry of a correct password at the management computer. Preferably, the password is encrypted prior to being sent to the element management server.
Thus, the invention also includes the concept of managing all of the plurality of network elements from a plurality of different remote management computers by performing the steps of selectively running a management application at a plurality of different work station for command, control and fault management of the network elements, interfacing an element management server through a computer internet to the plurality of different work stations to provide distributed network element management services to the management application at all of the plurality of work stations, and interfacing the network element with the element management server through a management agent application associated with the network element for communicating command acknowledgment and command requests through the computer internet between the network management server and the network element.
Thus, a method is provided which overcomes the deficiencies of known network element management systems and methods that provides distributed network management for enhanced efficiency and convenience which has the features needed for large scale management of a telecommunications system.
Appendix A provides a definition of terms and a glossary of acronyms included in this application.